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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. race — the arms race
  6. row — a line
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rest — what's left
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bound — certain
  11. rest — a break
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. race — humankind
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pit — a hole
  18. race — a contest
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com